


Serves Two

by Sereko



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe, Baker!Adam, Bakery!AU, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-25
Updated: 2013-11-04
Packaged: 2017-12-27 15:10:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/980379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sereko/pseuds/Sereko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kurt finds something more than cheesecake when he visits his favorite bakery.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A story initially sent in short installments to [Ann's](http://slightestwind.tumblr.com/) inbox, meant as teaspoons of lighthearted fluff at the end of a long day. Inspired by [this adorable photoset](http://eira-cannaid.tumblr.com/post/61901560217/the-only-cure-to-loneliness-is-cake). *u*

Kurt was going for Rachel, or at least that’s what he kept telling himself. She was having another tiff with Brody and needed some cheesecake to lift her spirits. Just because he was going ten blocks out of his way to go to the bakery with the Raspberry Ribbon Swirl cake he was obsessed with did not mean this errand had anything to do with him. Though, once he entered the quaint storefront and saw the berry laden cake in its own glass case on the counter, the drool forming in the corner of his mouth said otherwise.

Then again, the drool could have been because of the man behind the counter instead. A newbie. Kurt had memorized their staff by now – morning muffins, afternoon sweets, decadent desserts, he was well versed with their offerings and their friendly workers – and this man with his bright smile and warm laugh as he helped a customer was definitely a new addition. His name tag said “Adam.” Kurt would’ve left the Garden of Eden for him too.

“Hi, there! How may I help you?”

Kurt jerked to attention, his focus torn perfectly between the cake he so desired and this man whom he wouldn’t mind taking home instead. “Um, hi. Hello. I- ah- I’d like two slices of the Raspberry Ribbon Swirl cheesecake to go, please?”

“Coming right up.” He winked. The man honest-to-god just winked at Kurt in such an innocently hapless way that Kurt’s mind didn’t immediately fall to the gutter. It made him think of holding hands and helping old ladies cross the street and dropping dollars in the hands of the homeless.

“Are you new here?” Kurt couldn’t help but ask.

Adam straightened up with a white to-go box he was affixing a sealing sticker to. He raised an eyebrow at Kurt as if to ask the same thing. “Not quite, no. I’m co-owner.”

“What? Really? But I come here all the time and I’ve met Sandy and Tricia and Mike and-” Kurt paused when he realized how intense he was coming across. “I’ve never seen you,” he finished lamely.

Adam’s smile didn’t falter, only grew softer at discovering a regular of his establishment.

“I’m usually in back baking. I’m only up front because Tricia called in sick last-minute and there was no one else available to cover for her.”

“I’m glad.” Kurt froze, his cheeks reddening quickly with embarrassment at his earnest response. “I mean- I’m glad I got to meet you. Your cheesecake is amazing. It’s gotten me through many a bad day.”

Adam leaned forward, placing a hand over Kurt’s on the counter unself-consciously. “I’m sorry you’ve had so many bad days, but happy my cake could make them a little bit better.”

“A lot bit better. After all, the only cure to loneliness is cake.”

Adam’s hand tickled as he slowly withdrew it. Kurt resisted very well the impulse to stop its retreat. He watched, still slightly dazed at stumbling across such an adorable man, while Adam wrote something on top of his to-go box and rang him up. When he slid the package towards Kurt, he said meaningfully, “I hope you aren’t lonely much longer.”

It wasn’t until three steps out the door, when Kurt was no longer visible from the bakery’s windows and felt safe to peek, that he saw the phone number scrawled in tight, fine script with a smiley face next to it.


	2. Chapter 2

"You never called."

It was a statement of fact and Kurt reddened in embarrassment. It may have taken him a while to build up the courage - he’d never called a random stranger before for a date, not that he felt Adam was a stranger since he’d been having orgasmic communions with his cake for the past several weeks.

But by the time he was ready to make the call, Rachel had thrown out the box with the number. Kurt had unashamedly dug through their trash to find it, before she admitted with a curious frown that she’d taken the trash out the night before and it was well on its way to some recycling center.

“I- ah, no. I’m sorry,” Kurt immediately dropped his voice and sidled up closer to the glass display case so he could talk to Adam without the other people in the bakery overhearing. “My roommate threw out your number before I could.”

“Kurt, hi!” Sandy beamed at him once the old lady with an affinity for éclairs moved away from the register. “How can I help you?”

Kurt almost took the out, but Adam waved her off. “I’ve got this one, Sandy.” Before she could argue, a businessman came up asking about their variety of cookies.

Adam narrowed his eyes at Kurt and the way he was nervously biting his lip. He reached over the counter for one of Kurt’s arms and laid it out flat on the glass. He took the pen from behind his ear and began to write in blue ball-point across the back of Kurt’s hand. It was his number. Again. He kept off the smiley face this time, though.

“So it doesn’t get lost this time,” he said by way of explanation, though Kurt was too dumbstruck to ask anything like why and how and _why_.

He stared at the blue digits for a moment before taking a deep breath and blurting, “Why take a chance? It might rain this afternoon.” They both looked behind Kurt at the bright, sunny sky. “Would you like to get some coffee with me? Maybe after your shift?”

A wide smile broke out across Adam’s face.

“Yes. Yes I would.”

Kurt sighed in happy relief. He’d never done that before. Not successfully, anyway. Rachel would be so proud.

“Hey, wait, aren’t you supposed to be in back?” Kurt peered through the open door behind Sandy, light glinting off the tiny window in the middle.

“Maybe. And maybe I saw one of my regulars come in and wanted to give him some personal attention as appreciation for his patronage.”

There was a sly grin with that and Kurt found himself mirroring the expression.

“I hope you don’t give all your regulars such attention.”

“No, no, just you.”


	3. Chapter 3

Adam’s shift ended at 5 o’clock, so of course Kurt was exiting the subway by 4:30pm. He walked a five block circuit to work off some nerves and waste a little time and then found a bench at a nearby corner park to sit with a jittery knee.

He debated his choice of date spot for the twelfth time. There was a Starbucks two doors down, but he wasn’t sure if Adam was too hipster for such a big chain. There was also an independent café a little further away, and while Kurt hadn’t ever sampled their coffee, he was sure it would be ten times stronger than the 99 cent cup of Dunkin Donuts blend he got on his way to class every morning. He glanced at his watch, then bounded out of his seat when he realized he only had five minutes to get to the bakery.

Adam was just poking out from the back when Kurt slid inside. The shop was blissfully empty other than him and Sandy – a little more hunched over the register than when Kurt had seen her four hours ago.  Kurt ducked his head and gave a small wave in greeting and waited for Adam to approach him before spewing out the debate that had been swirling instead his head all through Intermediate Dance.

“So, there are a few places we could go. There’s a Starbucks, obviously, there are Starbucks about every two feet around here, but I don’t know if that’s your thing, especially if you are a purest and like plain coffee. There’s also Grounded for Life, which I’ve never been to, but I’m sure its coffee is just a great as anywhere else-“

“Kurt,” Adam interrupted with a fond smile. Possibly fond. Could he look at Kurt fondly after so brief an acquaintance? It was probably humored. Kurt was sticking his foot in his mouth, after all.

“Did you want to go somewhere else? That’s fine with me too, I don’t mind.”

Adam huffed an amused chuckle. It felt endearing and not patronizing, so Kurt just ducked his head again and let Adam take the lead.

“Actually yes.” He gestured to a small table at the front of the bakery, tucked quaintly up against the bay windows. “I thought we might stay here. The coffee’s free and there’s a chance for dessert too.” He winked.

Again with the winking. Again with Kurt feeling like he did it almost unconsciously as a way to convey earnestness.

“Oh. I forgot you guys served drinks here. Yeah, actually, this would be perfect.”

Adam grinned, then proffered his arm.

Kurt laughed as he slipped his hand in the crook of his elbow. They walked all of three steps to the left to arrive at their table and Kurt managed to sit gracefully despite the sudden weakness in his knees. He glanced outside to the random array of people peppering the sidewalk, the noise of their heels and conversations muffled through the thick pane of glass. Then he glanced back at Adam, some kind of strange mix of 18th century charm and 21st century confidence, and was never more thankful for his addiction to Raspberry Ribbon Swirl cheesecake.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea where I'm taking this, but I'm having such an awfully fun time with these two cuties, so hopefully you all are too. :)

Sandy was kind enough to get them both drinks – an Americano for Adam and a vanilla latte for Kurt – before handing over the keys to Adam and flipping the sign on the door to “closed” on her way out of the store. Kurt watched her go until she rounded the corner outside and he could no longer delay the inevitable. He was horrible at small talk, in fact he was pretty sure he was horrible at dates, he just hadn’t had enough experience to know for sure.

Thankfully, Adam started for him.

“So, what makes you a common fixture of my humble bakery? Stressful job? Overloaded class schedule? Insatiable sweet tooth?”

“All of the above?” Kurt laughed. “I have an internship at Vogue.com, go to school at NYADA – for musical theater – and could probably very happily eat nothing but pastries for an entire week.”

“Wow. I’m impressed.”

Kurt shrugged. He never could let praise sit unchallenged. “Most of my friends work and go to school. It’s the only way to afford it.”

“I meant about the pastry addiction.” Adam nudged his foot under the table. “I’m a baker and even I don’t even think I could go that long without something savory to break up the sugar rush.”

“Hardy har har.” Kurt’s face was a mix of amused and not, one eyebrow lifted questionably, but the corner of his mouth ticked up. “And how did you become a baker? You seem young to already own your own shop.”

“My parents helped. They’re back in London, but gave me a loan to buy this place,” his right hand twirled up to encompass the wrought iron and butter yellow and polished marble. He made it sound easy, flippant, but Kurt knew a place nestled nicely between business and residential with close access to the subway ensuring a steady stream of commuters couldn’t have been cheap. He wasn’t sure if coming from money was a turn-off, though. Lots of the Warblers had been down-to-earth despite their rich inheritance.

“And the baking?” Kurt asked again. It was never not fascinating to meet someone who succeeded in following their passion.

Adam shrugged, similar enough to Kurt that he knew the man was about to be humble, “I’ve dabbled in it as long as I can remember. Baking cookies with my mum and all that lot. I went to college,” he seemed to emphasize this point as if Kurt doubted it, “and my flatmates kept telling me I should turn my midnight brownies and hangover muffins into a full-time bakery. Seemed like a good idea.” There was a rising flush around his collar, his polo lightly dusted on the right shoulder with either flour or confectioner’s sugar. Kurt was tempted to reach out and taste to find out.

“A very good idea. There’s practically a line out the door in the mornings. More than once, you were out of lemon poppyseed scones by the time I got in.”

“Are those your favorite?” Did Kurt imagine the sudden perk in his posture?

“I have about twelve favorites.” _And you just might be my thirteenth._

“Well, I was thinking, if you’re interested, you could come in back and I could make something for you?”

Now Kurt was the one perking up. His eyes widened against his will. There may have been a bit of saliva gathering in the corner of his mouth.

“ _Yes_ ,” he breathed emphatically. “Oh God, please yes.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ridiculously short... I had to end it there. I _had_ to. :P

He was like Charlie being led behind the doors of the Chocolate Factory. There were mixing bowls and pastry bags and pans molded into different seasonal shapes. It was his mother’s kitchen times ten, with newer appliances and cleaner surfaces. Kurt skimmed a finger over one of the smooth marble countertops and stared enviously at a large stack of baker’s chocolate.

Adam caught his attention by grazing a hand down his upper arm as if in passing – though the nervous lick of his lips made it clear it was intentional. Kurt tried to ignore the rush of goosebumps across his skin.

“I was thinking, cheesecake?” He indicated a spring-form pan laid out nearby and Kurt saw the hint of a plastic bottle filled with bright red sauce. He resisted.

“No, no, no. That cake is magic. Learning how to make it would- I dunno, make it lose its charm?” He realized too late how silly he sounded, but he couldn’t take back the words, nor would he want to. He didn’t want to think about sugar and cream and graham crackers when he took his next bite of Raspberry Ribbon Swirl, he wanted to be transported to some sunny day where birds chirped and deadlines didn’t exist.

Adam was smiling at him when he tuned back in. Smiling seemed a permanent fixture on the man’s face.

Kurt didn’t mind.

“Cupcakes?” Adam tried again.

Kurt immediately nodded. “Simple, easy, happy.”

“Happy?”

“Yeah. Do you ever see anyone frowning into a cupcake?”

“I wasn’t criticizing,” Adam hummed while bumping their hips and then gathering ingredients. “Not many people describe baked goods the same way I do, is all.”

“Well, stick with me. I come with personified pastries and sugared lips.”

_Oh. My. God._ Kurt immediately smacked his forehead. Where the hell had that come from? Of all the cutesy things he could have possibly said, why did he have to come up with that?

Adam didn’t let him arch away in embarrassment, though, he reached up to touch the corner of Kurt’s lips with his thumb. With a steady gaze, he brought the digit back to his own mouth and licked.

“Definitely sweet.”

And Kurt melted.


	6. Chapter 6

Somehow, Kurt pulled himself together and was able to nod along as Adam explained his vanilla cinnamon cupcake recipe. Adam had him help: pour a teaspoon of that, sift the flour in here, stir ‘til blended. Neither of them commented on how trite it was when Kurt’s arm tired and Adam came up behind him to add his strength to the whisk as they mixed.

There was something so easy about it all. Nerves that didn’t last past the first hellos. Touches that were given and accepted without second thought.

Kurt almost felt like he was missing something. Were they not doing it right? Were they skipping a step?

“You said you’re studying musical theater?” Adam asked while placing the cupcakes in the oven. “Which part? Are you a performer?”

“Yup. Sequins and all.”

“I’d love to see you sometime.”

Kurt blanched. “Oh. Well, I mean. We don’t have any productions going right now. I don’t think-”

“Hey,” Adam laid a calming hand over Kurt’s twitching wrist. “I didn’t mean to overstep.” He hesitated. “Though I _would_ love to see you again.”

Kurt worried his bottom lip between his teeth and zoned out a little as Adam started working on some maple frosting. “It’s not that,” he eventually murmured, moving closer so their shoulders were touching once more. He tried to find the words to explain his reluctance, but he wasn’t entirely sure why he didn’t want Adam to see him on stage. Worlds colliding, maybe? Or the need to be prepared? Perfect?

He floundered, his hand making nonsensical circles in the air to accent his inner dialogue, then gave up and admitted instead, “I’d like to see you again, too.”

Adam broke the meager tension with a spoon held in front of Kurt’s face.

“Taste test?”

Kurt leaned forward to suck the dabble of frosting offered him and moaned when the sweetness hit his taste buds.

“I’ll translate that as ‘good’, shall I?”

Kurt didn’t open his eyes, still lost in changing seasons and tree sap, when he corrected, “No, that was a ‘very good.’”

“I see. Well, leave some room for improvement. I haven’t even added the sea salt yet.”

“Callbacks.”

“Pardon me?” Adam turned from where he’d just bent over to check the height of the cupcakes.

Kurt was pretty sure he was more surprised than Adam at his outburst. “Um, well, there’s a karaoke bar – can you still call it karaoke when there’s no machine and the music’s live? Well, I guess that’s just a lounge or piano bar, maybe.” Kurt shook his head. “Anyway, there’s this place that some of the NYADA students like to hang out at and practice their songs and I’ve only sung there once, but I might again, and if you’d maybe- I mean-”

“Yes.”

“Hm?”

“I think you were just asking if I’d like to join you at some later date at a place where you may or may not sing and my answer is yes. I’d be delighted.”

They shared a glance. Adam looked a little all-knowing. The mature man amused by the shyness of youth. There was a question: how old was Adam? Kurt found he didn’t care much if the baker turned out to be forty or twenty, though he maybe hoped for something in the middle.

“Good,” Kurt coughed. “That’s great.”

So maybe things weren’t easy so much as they progressed without much thought and magically ended up where Kurt wanted them to go. He’d take it.

And later, he didn’t equivocate when the room smelled of spice and they both had bellies full of warm cake, he pressed in for a much wanted kiss and sighed when it was clear Adam wanted it too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is as far as I had thought to go when I first conjured up this story for Ann. I'm marking this fic as complete for now, with the idea (and the hope) that if ever anyone wants to prompt me for other drabbles in this verse that I can come back and add on. 
> 
> If you would like to prompt me, please stop by [my tumblr](http://asdreamsmaycome.tumblr.com/ask)! :)


End file.
